Hoof-protector.



No. 643,246. Patented Feb. I3, |900. H. GALE.

HOOF PBDTECTOR.

(Application filed July 17, 1899.)

(No Model.)

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f iTTn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

.HENRY GALE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

HOOF-PROTECTOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 643,246, dated February 13, 1900.

Application filed .Iuly 17, 1899.

T0 all zul/1,0m t may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY GALE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Protectors for Horses Feet; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference-marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in protectors for horses feet, more'particularly of that kind adapted to be secured between the shoe and the hoof and having an artificial frog or cushion to relieve the heel ot' the foot from shocks and bruises. In the present state of the art it is old to employ a flat plate or piece the general shape of the horses foot and to secure this plate between the shoe and the hoof directly in contact with the latter and provide the same with a rubber frog or cushion underneath and between the sides or heels of the horseshoe. With such a protector the cushion soon wears away, and the heel of the hoof being in direct contact with the hard slab or plate the heel has no cushion and is unprotected. It has been attempted to remedy this by placing a thin cushion between the plate and the hoof intermediate the heels of the shoe. This, however, does not overcome the defect, as the sides of the hoof still rest at the heel on the hard plate. It has also been attempted to cure this defect by cutting away or reducing the thickness of the metal shoe at the heels and inserting between the same and the hard plate rubber cushions. This construction, however, is eX- pensive and of little practical value, inasmuch as the shoe mustbe made of special construction or be reshaped or remodeled when it is to be applied. f

It is the object of my invention to overcome the defects incident to these various protectors and produce a protector at a reduced cost which will at all times afford a cushion to the horses heel and hold the same away from the hard leather plate, no matter what be the condition of the false frog or under cushion; to

Serial Noy 724,172. (No model provide a protector which will accomplish this result and which can be used with the ordinary horseshoe without altering the same; to furnish a protector of longer life than those new known or used; to so construct the false frog or bottom cushion and secure the same to the plate that it can be with little labor and expense repaired or built up, and to generally improve, simplify, and cheapen such protectors.

With such and other objects in View the invention is embodied in the novel parts, construction, and arrangements of parts hereinafter described, and particularly set forth in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings I have shown apractical embodiment of the invention, but desire it understood that I do not limit the improvements in their useful applications to the particular construction which for the purpose of illustration I have therein delineated.

In the drawings, Figure l is a top plan view of a protector embodying my improvements. Fig. 2 is aside elevation thereof, showing its relation to the horseshoe and the horses foot. Fig. 3 is a rear elevation, and Fig. 4 is a ver tical View through the protector.

Referring to the drawings, A indicates a flat plate or slab of suitable material, such as leather, which in plan is the general shape of the horses hoof and is intended to be placed between the shoe and the hoof and be held in place by the securingmails for the shoe. On the upper surface of the plate Ais a horseshoe-shaped strip B, which contacts directly with the shell of the hoof and supports the hoof free of or out of contact with the plate. This strip is made of suitable material, such as leather, and is substantially the width ofthe shoe and about the thickness of the plate A. It occupies the same position above the plate as the shoe does below it, the shoe-nails passing through the strip and thereby aiding in firmly secu ring the strip between the hoof and plate. Strips B of diiferent thickness to suit the different horses can of course be employed. The strip B at the sides does not extend as far rearward as the shoe, terminating, as will be seen in the drawings, at the points b, approximately at the rearmost nail-holes of the shoe, so that the heel of the hoof is unsupported by the strip IOO B and is allowed a certain amount of play. The rear ends of the strip are tapered, as at b', to better` aid this play. Secured in any preferred manner on the upper surface of the plate A intermediate the sides of the strip B is a yielding supporting pad or cushion C for the frog of the foot. This pad is conveniently made of rubber and tapers from the heel of the plate A toward the toe.

On the under side of the plate A is rmly secured in a suitable manner, as by stitches cl, an artificial frog or support D, which lies beneath and is of the general shape of the cushion C. Inasmuch as a horse with sore heels or sore feet requires a shoe higher at the heel than at the toe, the frog D is of greater depth at the heel than at the toe. In order to construct a cheap and durable frog and at the same time one capable of easy repairs, I build the frog up of lifts or layers d and d2 of suitable material, such as leather, the upper lifts or lift d2 being gradually reduced in thickness from heel to toe. The frog above described is more durable than the usual rubber frog, and at the same timewhen it docs wear away the bottom lift or lifts can be removed and replaced by new lifts at the expenditure of little time and expense.

From the above description it will be readily understood that the hoof is at all times supported by the strip B and cushion C above the plate or slab A, and that no matter how much the frog D is worn awa-y the horses heel always has a cushioned support and never comes in contact with the relatively hard plate or slab A. The plate A, strip B, and cushion C receive practically no wear and can be used at two or more shoeings, it being simply necessary to provide a new or partially new frog D.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,.is-

l. A protector for horses feet, comprising` a plate adapted to be secured between the shoe and hoof, means for holding the heel of on the under side of said plate, and a yielding cushion secured on the upper side of said plate intermediate the sides of said strip, substantially as described.

3. A protector for horses feet, comprising a plate A adapted to be secured between the shoe and hoof, a horseshoe-shaped strip B on the upper side of said plate terminating at the rear at the points b and provided withthe tapered portions b', a frog or support D secured to the under side of the plate A, and a yielding cushion C secured to the upper side of the plate, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HENRY GALE. Witnesses:

GEORGE E. TEW, E. M. STALEY. 

